ad hoc.

More insomnia equals more VH1 Classic!

Ah, how good was Tesla’s “Love Song”? I want to go back in time and go to an arena rock show. This song, without fail, always makes me close my eyes, sing along, and wave my hands in the air. I just did it. Man, I was born 10 years two late. (The song doesn’t really reach anything until about 2:25).

And for fun, The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary”. Ian Astbury rocks the pirate look.

You all know how I feel about narrative videos. One of the best is Skid Row’s “18 and Life”. I think I may have reenacted this video with a friend in junior high. Maybe that happened. I remembered being obsessed (along with Sebastian Bach) the bassist Rachel Bolan. Because his name was Rachel, and he had a chain that connected his nose ring to his earring. HAWT.

And the movie section profiles how Hollywood is trying to make so-called chick flicks marketable to men. How about they stop making utter and complete shit?

Are these the meanest girls or the dumbest girls?

I also got the new Ladytron album. Suck on THAT!

I’ve been groovin’ to Paramore’s Riot!. No, I’m not a character on One Tree Hill, an alienated suburban teenager, or a salegirl at Torrid.

Paramore- Riot!

1-09-ride-the-wind.mp3

When Poison ruled the world…and my pants. It’s painful to watch Rock of Love now, knowing what once was.

09-come-sail-away.mp3

Who doesn’t have love for Styx?

Seriously, what would I do without this channel?

“A Little Respect” has been one of my favorite songs forevs. I saw the video for the first time at 3:08 this morning. I didn’t know these chaps had such a sense of humor! Every lyric of the song is represented in literal interpretation. [going to dig out all my Erasure albums...]

...is an electo-indie band from Finland. Need I say more? I’ve found them to be quite delightful. Maybe I need to take back what I said about not liking anything new that has come out.

I actually don’t know I post a pic of a band when I mention them. Really, all bands I like look exactly the same.

Get it here, but by sometime by the end of today.

…for playing old metal videos that remind me of yesteryear when the art of a video consisted of the band playing in a cheesy set and some random model strutting about. Are these for real?

Alice Cooper- “Poison”. Man, I used to think this song was so BADASS. That, to me, was like real heavy metal. The video is not much, except for the last 30 seconds which is so CHOICE.

Ah, the Bret Michaels of a bygone era. Let me burn an image of this in my mind when I watch Rock of Love. How over the top were poison? CC and the boys walking down Hollywood boulevard in tight pants, high heeled boots and full makeup was like my idea of heaven. And Bret popping out of the Murphy bed? Wooo! I have to go fan myself.

Iggy Pop covering Madonna at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

I love how Igs still refuses to wear a shirt. Ever.

The Raconteurs are happy to announce that in one week’s time their second album, entitled Consolers Of The Lonely, will be available EVERYWHERE Tuesday, March 25th.“Album” meaning: full length vinyl, CD and digital formats; and “everywhere” meaning: local mom and pop Indie retailers, corporate superstores, supermarkets, iTunes, Amazon, the band’s own website and any other location that could get the record up and going this quickly (some places couldn’t move this fast, so they will join in as soon as they can).

It contains 14 new recordings and is being released globally on Third Man Records in conjunction with our marketing/distribution partners, XL Recordings and Warner Brothers Records.

The album was mastered and completed in the first week of March. It was then taken immediately to a vinyl pressing plant. Then to a CD pressing plant. Then preparations to sell it digitally began. March 25th became the soonest date to have it available in EVERY FORMAT AT ONCE. The band have done no interviews or advertisements for this record before this announcement.

The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised. We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it’s availability, reception or perception.

With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important “first week sales”. We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it’s first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.
Another purpose was to also allow people to have their own choice as to exactly which format they would like to hear the album in IMMEDIATELY, rather than having to wait for their favorite format to become available. The band are also not releasing any version of this record that contains bonus tracks. Musically this album will be the same as the band created it no matter what format it is purchased in (The sound quality of each format however, is a different story. The Raconteurs recommend hearing it on vinyl, but the choice is of course up to the listener).

The band also prefer that fans buy the album as a whole instead of breaking up the tracks, but until iTunes and other digital services allows bands to release their albums with the option of NOT breaking it up, it will be sold in that fashion on those particular sites. On the band’s website however, the album will be sold in its entirety as an mp3 at 320kb bit rate. Also in Japan, fans will be able to download the record via their mobile phones, as that is how a majority of recorded music is consumed there.

The reason we are announcing this release one week ahead of time is because of retail pre-ordering and stocking, information about this album’s imminent release was bound to come to light and could be confusing to fans. Also in the event that the record leaks, we didn’t want this method of release to be seen as a REACTION to such a leak. It’s not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, akin to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theater. Which for the album’s creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener.

There will be a video up on the internet for the first single, “Salute Your Solution”, on the 25th as well, provided it gets edited in time. We just filmed it the other day!

We hope not to confuse anyone with too many options, or deny them the formats that they like best. The Raconteurs feel very strongly that music has worth and should be treated as such. Thank you to all those who respect music in this fashion, and thank you to our label partners for working with us to get this album to fans in as many formats as possible all at once.

Wow! With that said, I still have obtained a leaked copy, but that’s just because I’m badass. I think this is a pretty proactive soultion to the way that people listen to music these days. They are strongly encouraging people not to steal their music, but then again they are offering a solution other than whining about it. Oh Jack White, you make me want to marry you even more each day.

It’s never too early to make a list! And we are about 25% done with 2008!

1. Sons and Daughters, This Gift
2. The Magnetic Fields, Distortion
3. Does It Offend You, Yea?, You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Into
4. Cloud Cult, Feel Good Ghosts
5. The Von Bondies, We Are Kamikazes Headed Straight For Your Heart
6. We Should Be Dead, Forget Romance, Let’s Dance!
7. The Kills, Midnight Boom
8. The Black Keys, Attack & Release
9. The Mars Volta, Bedlam in Goliath 
10. Forward, Russia!, Life Processes 

02-shes-my-man.mp3

I have no idea why the Scissor Sister’s second album Tah-Dah got no love. But this is my favorite track from it. Elton John should sue them for stealing his voice.

I am luh.ving. the new EP from THe Von Bondies, We Are Kamikazes Aiming Straight for Your Heart. It’s weird because it sounds totally different from their original stuff, which was very bluesy. With each release, they sound more and more and more traditional indie rick. That could be bad, but they do it well. In the sea of musical mediocrity, it is nice to hear a release (albeit only 4 songs) where it is riprocking awesomeness the whole way through. It sounds like Interpol meets The White Stripes.

01-pale-bride.mp3

02-21st-birthday.mp3

03-wake-me-up.mp3

04-i-dont-wanna.mp3

Some random good songs.

the-strokes-new-york-city-cops.mp3 (The Strokes b-side)

05-tropicana.mp3 (Ratatat)

tell-me-this-night-is-over.mp3 (The Ark)

08-make-your-own-kind-of-music.mp3 (for all Lost fans)

2-06-strawberry-fields-forever.mp3 (the only good song from Across the Universe)

02-i-want-to-hold-your-hand.mp3 (another one)

06-going-to-pasalacqua.mp3 (one of my favorite Green Day Songs)

08-jar-jason-andrew-relva.mp3 (Green Day)

I mentioned Vampire Weekend a few posts back, but here is another list of bands that hip bloggers are demanding I listen to, but makes me feel something is wrong with me because they are a total snoozefest:

• Crystal Castles
• Beach House
• Born Ruffians
• Duffy

Seriously, what am I missing?? Maybe it’s actually happened- I’m too old for this shit?

Seriously everyone? What’s with all the hoopla over the band Vampire Weekend? Am I listening to the same thing that others are? I just don’t get it. It’s like a hoax, like the bonsai kittens website. Someone spread it out as a hoax as an upcoming band and now everyone is too embarassed to say that they don’t care for them.

Song chart meme.

Example:

I was so pumped because I got the new We Are Scientists album and you know how much I love the last one but guess what? It’s horribly boring. What happened with them? Run out of ideas? How can they produce this album compared to their last and be happy with it?

I’ve been hating music lately, and I’ve even resorted to listening to Cyndi Lauper’s greatest hits because I am bored with all my crrent music. One band that has stood out for me is the Irish band We Should Be Dead. Not of the pretentious noise-pop hipster stff, it’s just a throwback to pop and bbblegum music, played on indie instruments.

I’ve uploaded the album “Forget Romance, Let’s Dance” here but I’m taking it down in a few days.

Thank you to whatever higher power decided that I should get the VH1 Classic Channel. No Flava Flav, Top model, just kickass videos from the eighties and early nineties. And whole blocks of metal videos that take me back to the days when I would tape Headbanger’s Ball on the VCR. Even the passage of 10 years makes me cringe at what used to be cool. What will we think of ourselves in 10 years?

Heavy metal of the early nineties was supposedly this uber-hetero display of masculinity, but I would say there are some major gay elements to it. Forget the copious amounts of makeup and haorspray, but the moves and the appearances are megagay.

Exhibit A: Winger’s “Headed For a Heartbreak”. The production value of this video is AMAZING. I remember I used to be obsessed with the dress she is wearing with the heavy shoulderpads and keyhole to show cleavage. At one point it looks like Kip Winger is wearing leggings and an off the shoulder purple tee shirt. CLASSIC.

The Cult is quite awesome and still is today. However, you cn’t help but be drawn to Ian Astbury’s flowing locks (what conditioner does he use) fringed leather pants and sultry moves.

I saw this a while ago and the jury is still in. It’s from the Brit awards, and it is Rihanna performing “Umbrella” with the Klaxons. The Klaxons can do no wrong in my book, and they seem like they really showed up, even with their matching costumes, but Rihanna looks like a robot and she sucks live. Why do the British have better taste in music than us?

Wow! Someone else is also bothered that Bad Brains are doing promos on MTV. Okay, it’s not just me. None of the kids watching even gets the relevance or the awesomeness…but then again, no one FORCED Band Brains to do it. Yes, maybe they need the paycheck to be able to start making music again, but isn’t being on MTV against absolutely everything they stand for?

Thank god the writer’s strike is over! It looks like Battlestar will have a complete season. Seriously, thank god. I know I make fun of all those other fans of cancelled shows that send the producers all sorts of crap in the mail, but if this season did not get a proper run, you’d see me REALLY lose it. Oh, and the glorious third season (my favorite so far) is on dvd March 18.

My Little Pony is 25! There’s some sort of display going on in NYC. Hint hint for anyone that lives there to go and take pics for me. I read an article recently that claimed that the early ponies looked like ponies, and the more recent ones look like underage porn stars. You be the judge:

THEN:

NOW:

I really was trying to ignore the band MGMT, and now I have let my guard down and this album really should have been in my top ten of 2007. I have tried to not like it because I actually know the band. Not that they could pick me out of a lineup, but I have interacted with them when they went to school at a place a I used to work. I found them to be stand-offish and a little bit hipster elitist. (Exhibit A) The one guy was shirtless and wearing a fur stole, for one. But, their stuff is just too good to resist. Their album Oracular Spectacular is a perfect blend of radio-friendly pop melodies, electronica and quirkiness. These two songs are the best on the album. You’ll want to listen to “kids” on a loop. I did.

01-time-to-pretend.mp3

05-kids.mp3

Another good cover song that drags me out of my misery:

Asobi Seksu; “And Then He Kissed Me”

because it makes my crappy little life just a little more bearable.

It’s Lily Allen covering ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky”.
01-mr-blue-sky.mp3